:'( *sob*

[Branden]

Hi everyone! This is my first blog ever, so I’m gonna do my best! Something happened to me a few days back that I thought I’d share with you all. Well, it all started when me and my mom decided to take a vacation to California to visit my Grandma. We’re now staying at her house for a whole month. She lives in SoCal (Southern Cali) and for those of you who don’t know, SoCal is very hot, very humid, and in most spots looks like this.

We decided to take the Amtrak train all the way here because my mom is terrified of flying. Sadly, we had to switch trains at 5:30 A.M.! Exhausted and confused, me and my mom heard “Last call!” from a conductor and we quickly rushed off the train. It turns out that wasn’t for us but we didn’t know that until later. So we get on a different train that shook so much I couldn’t hold a can of soda without it sloshing all over me and the previous train was never heard from again.

Now you think it’s over and nothing went wrong. But, here’s where the trouble starts. Anyone who has been on an Amtrak train would know that the seats fold into a bed. They would also see that there is a small space under the chairs for carry on luggage. Well when we left the train confused and in a hurry we forgot one thing… Ladies and Gentlemen we forgot my Playstation 2 and all of my games.

That’s right folks. The glorious 9 year-old console and 5 games were lost under a chair on a train… cold and alone. Now when we discovered this I burst into tears; A great way to start a vacation huh? >:( So, for about 2-3 days we kept calling Amtrak and all the stations that could help us find it. They only responded with: “Sorry, we aren’t responsible for carry on luggage,” or, “Sorry we couldn’t find it.” And that may be the case. They might’ve looked and didn’t see it. If that’s true than obviously it got stolen. By who, I don’t know. It could’ve been a passenger who saw it and said “jackpot!” Although I doubt that because it was in a medical bag and anyone who isn’t complete scum wouldn’t steal a medical bag. I think it was one of the workers that stole it. I think they checked it, realized what it was, and kept it. It still saddens me to this day to know that my PS2 is gone. Lots of people have told me it’s just and object and shouldn’t mean anything to you. But, any gamer knows my problem. It’s not the playstation I’m really upset about. It’s the memory card! That’s right, all my data, my hard work, sweat, and tears (not really tears but, you know…) is all gone! No more Need for Speed: Most Wanted. No more Guitar Hero. No more The Sims 2. No more Destroy All Humans 2! It’s all gone! WWHHYYYY!!! WHY ME?! WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE!!!

Alright so I’m getting a little carried away. I have questions to all of you that I would like answers to. My first question is: Have you ever had a bad experience on a train or with a thief? Has anyone ever stolen something of value that belonged to you? Or have you ever had a waitress in the Dining Car of a train spit in your soup? Leave a comment telling me about any bad experiences you’ve had along those lines. If you don’t have any, then leave a comment about your opinion on thieves. Do you like 'em, hate 'em, or are you just indifferent? Also, if you liked this blog then in your comment please let me know you liked it and if you want me to make more let me know; I love support! This is only my first blog so if it sucked I won’t make more… Haha! Ok so that’s about it. Thanks for reading!

[Jessica_C]

Your reason for upset made me smile. Sorry for your loss. Not the usual subject on TuD! My Dad lost his wallet on a train in Germany, and it got back to him with the cash gone. =) Good luck moving on to another game console!!

[Jade]

hey your blog didn’t suck at all! haha.my little brother is 12 and he’s a gamer too, i know he we would be upset if he lost his stuff. i’ve had a situation like that actually, my sister lost a braclet but the worker kept saying it wasn’t there but were really knew she took it. oh well! lol. good job on your blog!

[MarieB]

Branden, I’m sorry you lost your game system. I’m sure you were planning on spending some time using it on your trip. It’s always such a shock to think that someone would steal something from you. I’m sure it’s happened to everyone at some point. Years ago, my car was stolen from the parking lot of my apartment. I was going to work, and I said to myself, “I know I parked it here last night”, and there was just broken glass from where they shattered the window. So I had no car for a week or so, and had to take the bus to work, which added about an hour to my commute. I eventually got it back, with cigarette burns and all kinds of trash in it, and I just felt so violated! Who were these pigs who were in my car?

Anyway, your story here was well-written, and the pictures really added a lot. It definitely did not suck at all. I’d love to hear more from you. How’s it going with your diabetes?

Marie in NJ

[ODESSA_BROWN]

HEY BRANDEN
SORRY YOUR GAMES WERE TAKEN ON THE TRAIN,BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME.I WILL GIVE YOU AN A+ FOR YOUR COMMENTS,GREAT DETAILS.KEEP ON DURING THEM!

[Linda_G]

I have to say kiddo…for a first time blogger (or so you say…I wouldn’t be surprised if you told us that you really are an under cover journalist (huh??) on a big assignment). You have a true flair Planning a career as a writer perhaps??
Bad experiences? HUGE! (but hey…I’m not alone here!!)…that’s OK though…I have more GOOD experiences than bad!! (As for spitting in my soup…don’t want to think about that one, other than to say…be nice to your waiter!!)
I’ve had my brand new shoes stolen while at school one Winter when I was 12, happened when I was out at recess. I had gone to my teacher with this, but was afraid it wouldn’t be resolved before whom ever stole those shiny new shoes, went home with them at the end of the day…my shoes never to be seen again. So…I took the situation in my own little hands, and using the excuse of going to the washroom a couple of times…I went through the school in search of my shoes. The set up at the school was such that the coat/boot area for each classroom was a separate room and accessed separately from, and before the classroom itself (long and narrow…the length of the class room and about 5’ wide). I hit the upper grades first, rationalizing that the shoes were likely stolen by someone who could wear my size. I found them, and breathing a sigh of relief, brought them back to my classroom area and strapped them on. The girl who had stolen them had the audacity of accusing ME of stealing “her” shoes. I was called to the office…I remember trying to rationalize with the principal that if they were HER shoes, how would she know to immediately accuse me, who had been walking around in stocking feet, and after having already brought the situation up to my teacher. The principal had called my home, and got an earful from my mom…things were quickly resolved after the phone call…nuff said, save for…hurray for THE POWER OF MOMS!!!